Everything Early Theme Park Entry (ETPE) - Please Read Post 1

[scrappinginontario]

Which rides are open during resort guest early entry?

Please read post 1 of this thread.

 

[Disney.fan]

What time/how early should we (off-site guests) plan to reach each park's parking lot in mid-October for rope drop? Thanks!!

 

[scrappinginontario]

What time/how early should we (off-site guests) plan to reach each park's parking lot in mid-October for rope drop? Thanks!!

This thread answers all questions about ETPE. Please see post 1.

 

[iheartglaciers]

I have friends visiting Hollywood Studios on Saturday. What has been people’s recent experience with what time they let people in for early entry and what time rides start running? (I realize this can vary by day).

They’re trying to figure out what time to arrive. Early entry officially starts at 8am that day.

 

[scrappinginontario]

If they're staying onsite, post 1 of this thread has the most current information.

 

[iheartglaciers]

If they're staying onsite, post 1 of this thread has the most current information.

Thanks! I wasn’t sure if recently people were finding rides opening 30 mins before Early Entry start since post 1 said that might have just been for the holidays.

 

[scrappinginontario]

Thanks! I wasn’t sure if recently people were finding rides opening 30 mins before Early Entry start since post 1 said that might have just been for the holidays.

We keep post 1 as current as possible based on recent information. Reading the past few pages of this thread and possibly the last few pages of the, 'Here Now and Just Back' thread are a good place to get an idea of current trends understanding things vary slightly from day to day.

 

[Cherrychip]

Remy Rope Drop Logistics.
I'm hoping to rope drop Remy from International Gateway on our Epcot day on our next trip. We will be staying at POR and driving our own car. Am I correct that it is possible to park at HS and walk over from there? What is the earliest we can we park in the HS parking lot - is it one hour before early entry at HS starts that day? How long is the walk likely to take, would we be able to get over to International Gateway in time to have a good position for rope drop? Is there a way to get back to the HS parking lot after Epcot closes that would not involve walking the whole way? Or would it be better to take a bus from our resort to HS and walk from the HS bus stop then take a bus from Epcot to our resort at the end of the night instead of driving to HS?

 

[scrappinginontario]

Remy Rope Drop Logistics.
I'm hoping to rope drop Remy from International Gateway on our Epcot day on our next trip. We will be staying at POR and driving our own car. Am I correct that it is possible to park at HS and walk over from there? What is the earliest we can we park in the HS parking lot - is it one hour before early entry at HS starts that day? How long is the walk likely to take, would we be able to get over to International Gateway in time to have a good position for rope drop? Is there a way to get back to the HS parking lot after Epcot closes that would not involve walking the whole way? Or would it be better to take a bus from our resort to HS and walk from the HS bus stop then take a bus from Epcot to our resort at the end of the night instead of driving to HS?

Post 1 has a lot of information about ETPE.

Walk to IG from DHS approx. 15-20 mins. Other options are Skyliner or Friendship boat

Transportation will not go to a closed park although the Skyliner will be running to take guests away from DHS for approx 60-90 mins after park close. Skyliner running is also weather dependent. Generally it is not recommended to leave your vehicle at a park you are not at as it may be challenging to get to your vehicle if the park is closed.

Bus would be better option than taking your car if you will want to go home from Epcot after DHS is closed.

 

[Familyof14]

Going to WDW the first week of October...coming up, and trying to figure this all out!!! We will have ETPE with our Coronado Resort stay, and we have pre-purchased Genie+.

We were at WDW the same time last year and stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge. One of the problems that we had was not getting a bus in time of ETPE. Some times the bus would not show up at the appointed times. Once, the bus was already full. There are 5 of us, plus a double stroller, so using LIFT or UBER will not work for us. Nor do we want to pay for transportation that is already included in our WDW pricing.

To make matters worse for this coming trip, it appears at the moment that the parks are going to be opening even earlier than last year! This change was recent because I have been studying and planning a strategy based on what the calendars were showing for our dates (as early as 2 weeks ago.) At the time, all parks were opening for ETPE at 8:30. Now, MK is the only park still opening at 8:30. Two are now opening at 8:00, and Animal Kingdom is opening at 7:30 for ETPE. This has really messed up my pre-planning schedules. Geesh...how is someone suppose to get sleep, much less balancing getting dressed, booking the first attraction with Genie+ at 7:00am, and getting to the bus stop at least 30-45 minutes before ETPE! LOL Animal Kingdom day will be especially tricky since I will have to be making Genie+ reservations either on the bus (low WiFi reception) or while standing at the entrance gate.

Speaking of entrance gate and ETPE... Last year, we were very confused once the bus let us off. With all 4 parks, we were never sure of where to go to scan our bands for ETPE. There were always droves of people at the entrance. Is there a specific side of the entrance that we should go to for ETPE scanning? I have read that there are CM's holding signs, but they were either not visible because of the crowds, or not there at all last year. I feel sure that we ended up mingling and entering with everyone, whether they were resort guest or not, and did not get to take advantage of being in the park earlier.

 

[DVC4US]

Going to WDW the first week of October...coming up, and trying to figure this all out!!! We will have ETPE with our Coronado Resort stay, and we have pre-purchased Genie+.

We were at WDW the same time last year and stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge. One of the problems that we had was not getting a bus in time of ETPE. Some times the bus would not show up at the appointed times. Once, the bus was already full. There are 5 of us, plus a double stroller, so using LIFT or UBER will not work for us. Nor do we want to pay for transportation that is already included in our WDW pricing.

To make matters worse for this coming trip, it appears at the moment that the parks are going to be opening even earlier than last year! This change was recent because I have been studying and planning a strategy based on what the calendars were showing for our dates (as early as 2 weeks ago.) At the time, all parks were opening for ETPE at 8:30. Now, MK is the only park still opening at 8:30. Two are now opening at 8:00, and Animal Kingdom is opening at 7:30 for ETPE. This has really messed up my pre-planning schedules. Geesh...how is someone suppose to get sleep, much less balancing getting dressed, booking the first attraction with Genie+ at 7:00am, and getting to the bus stop at least 30-45 minutes before ETPE! LOL Animal Kingdom day will be especially tricky since I will have to be making Genie+ reservations either on the bus (low WiFi reception) or while standing at the entrance gate.

Speaking of entrance gate and ETPE... Last year, we were very confused once the bus let us off. With all 4 parks, we were never sure of where to go to scan our bands for ETPE. There were always droves of people at the entrance. Is there a specific side of the entrance that we should go to for ETPE scanning? I have read that there are CM's holding signs, but they were either not visible because of the crowds, or not there at all last year. I feel sure that we ended up mingling and entering with everyone, whether they were resort guest or not, and did not get to take advantage of being in the park earlier.

Over the last several years it has become the norm for Disney to change park hours about 2 weeks out - it is typically based on how busy they will be. So it's always best to have a basic plan and keep an eye on the hours.

If you are heading to the bus stop 30-45 minutes before ETPE you are already too late. To be at the park before it opens, you generally need to be at the bus stop about 60-90 minutes before ETPE. The parks will actually open their gates about 30 minutes before and then you can scan through entry and second check point for hotel guests and line up with the crowd for whatever ride you are trying to get too. You need to leave extra time for the things you mentioned. Also, I would not try to use WiFi for booking LL especially when not in your room - I would use data if you can. I don't use WiFi in the room either because Disney's WiFi gets bogged down with everyone trying to use it at the same time. I have booked the 7am LL from my room, standing at the back gate of Epcot, on the bus to AK, at the bus stop, and walking the path from Boardwalk to HS with no issues.

As far as entry into the parks - we have generally been there early so there wasn't a specific gate but I'm sure once the crowd starts building they designate gates. If I remember last year from HS it was to the far right and it was hard to find but I just kept asking security or CMs until I found it.

 

[Familyof14]

Thank you...very helpful!!!

I remember reading somewhere else about not connecting to the WiFi to get better service. Luckily, I do have unlimited data on my Verizon account. I am not sure about my daughters phone, as she is on another plan. I was counting on her to book a virtual queue one morning when I was making a LL.

As far as knowing which side of the gate to go to for ETPE, I believe that I will follow one of the guest off of the bus that appear to know where they are going. Maybe ask around while on the bus ride. I saw a photo of the Hollywood Studios gate in a review that showed a CM standing to the left and holding a sign for ETPE guest. I was hoping that would be the direction to go. It would make sense if they would stand in the same area, and in each park every day, instead of having guest search for the correct entrance each visit.

When I had my DH read your reply about what time to get to the bus stop, his reply was "Why are we even paying for a hotel? We should just spend the night outside of the park!"

 

[pens4821]

As far as knowing which side of the gate to go to for ETPE, I believe that I will follow one of the guest off of the bus that appear to know where they are going. Maybe ask around while on the bus ride. I saw a photo of the Hollywood Studios gate in a review that showed a CM standing to the left and holding a sign for ETPE guest. I was hoping that would be the direction to go. It would make sense if they would stand in the same area, and in each park every day, instead of having guest search for the correct entrance each visit.

When we were there in March, ETPE for HS was all the gates except the very far right one. There was only one line for non resort guests. We went three times and it was the same every day. Didn’t get to any other park for early entry so can’t tell you where they are located.

We too were worried about being in the wrong spot. It wasn’t really the best marked, and no one seems to say where to line up (as far as here on the boards). however, there are a lot of cms around so we just asked to make sure we were in the right spot.

 

[Familyof14]

Thank you!

 

[dorchrislen]

At AK, has anyone been able to do dinosaur First for early entry and then get to expedition Everest before the general entry crowd? If not do you think it’s possible?
I’d like to get those two done and then do G+ for the Safari and purchase ILL for FOP

 

[Disney.fan]

What time do the parks (not rides) allow for non-resort/non-Early Entry guests to enter the parks (for gift shops/coffee/lockers)? Is Magic Kingdom the only one that allows non-resort/non-Early Entry guests to enter for these things at the same time as Early Entry guests?

 

[Disney.fan]

If we plan to rent a Locker, will the time to do so set us back from getting to our 'rope drop/first ride' as early?

 

[Dis Dragon]

All the lockers are close to the entrance, it may delay you 5-10 minutes from where you would be otherwise.

 

[Dis Dragon]

AK and MK are the only ones that allow same time entry and have the additional hotel guest check. Epcot and HS separate before the ticket scanners.

 

[scrappinginontario]

What time do the parks (not rides) allow for non-resort/non-Early Entry guests to enter the parks (for gift shops/coffee/lockers)? Is Magic Kingdom the only one that allows non-resort/non-Early Entry guests to enter for these things at the same time as Early Entry guests?

Please read post 1 of this thread as it explains a lot about Early Theme Park opening.